The criminal justice system is facing a growing problem with its population, and I’m not talking about overcrowding or broken down facilities. Criminal inmates with drug and alcohol problems are largely overlooked and not given proper drug treatment to help prevent returning to jail or prison. Take a closer look at this situation and how it could affect you.

Report Outlines Problems With Addiction Population and Incarceration

According to this report on the criminal justice system, just 11% of inmates with drug and alcohol problems received any sort of treatment. Worse yet, not many of those who did get some help did not get evidence-based treatment. At best, a person in the criminal justice system may have just the slimmest chance of getting drug treatment that will make a difference.  The lack of proper treatment is a key factor in relapse and almost certain re-offense.

Take a look at the financial side of this story.  The cost of keeping a person in prison or jail continues to go up all the time.  If just a fraction of that population could be effectively deterred from getting back into the system, think of the potential for financial savings. Proper treatment and support would be well worth the effort and expense.  This report estimates that every year an inmate remains out of prison and employed, society saves roughly $90,000.  Can you just imagine how communities could spend $90,000 in ways that can benefit everyone?

Problems Identified For Prisons And Drug Problems

The report echoes what the most casual person in many communities can observe.  Our criminal justice system tends to spend money on jails, prisons, and various ways to support incarceration.  This happens not only in large metro areas, but also rural regions and small cities.  While it may seem to reduce the most obvious symptoms of overcrowding, what does this do to prevent people from offending in the first place.  What does it do for inmates with treatable problems directly related to their likelihood of committing crimes? Very little.

Communities everywhere need to widen their focus to include better identification and treatment of those with drug and alcohol issues. Yes, some buildings need improvement and even replacement. Yes, good staff also costs money to provide community protection. Many justice systems just aren’t equipped or focused on treatment or reentry programs.

Funding and support for this may be heavy on the front end with grants and community funding. But evidence-based programs are just that - based on evidence of success and reduced symptoms. These provide the best chance for prisons to reduce some part of their population and save the community money.

Drug Treatment Important For Preventing Return To Criminal Justice System

This is clearly not a problem that will be solved overnight.  Many small meaningful steps will be needed to shift the focus from population control to drug treatment and prevention for those with alcohol and drug problems. Of course, this will not make much difference for those without these diagnoses. But it is a significant and under-diagnosed problem. Any positive change in this part of the criminal population will ultimately benefit all of society.

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Binge drinking is a clear sign of alcohol abuse if not alcoholism.  Yet it is so accepted by many as a normal part of socializing with alcohol.  Very few people seem to understand how dangerous it really is.  Read on to learn about some very real risks of binge drinking.

Binge Drinking Intentions Differ From Social Drinking

Perhaps part of the problem with recognizing binge drinking is understanding what it is.  First, the intent of binge drinking is to get drunk.  Now that may seem obvious, but that intent is quite different from someone looking to relax and have  a little fun with friends or with a significant other.  The main point there is to socialize and have fun; it’s a group-oriented goal.

Getting drunk is a very self-serving goal focused on someone’s personal experience.  They may or may not care what else happens socially as long as they are drunk.  Getting a little buzz means a person only has a couple of drinks and does so in a responsible manner.  A person intending to get drunk may or may not have this sort of plan.  And even if they do, they do not show the same concern for their own well being as someone having a couple of social drinks.

More Binge Drinking Risks

Binge drinking is one episode of excessive drinking, usually five drinks or more.  This could be as low as four drinks for a smaller woman.  Pretty much anyone who drinks like this during one period of time could expect to be at risk for the following:

• impaired memory - possible blackout
• higher risk for injury because of poor judgment
• risk of alcohol poisoning
• higher risk of being assaulted

Risks that may not be so obvious:

• some health conditions can be made worse with excessive drinking
• some medications are specifically not to be combined with alcohol
• people with mental illness or some deep emotional problems could make them worse, at risk for alcoholism
• women who may not know they are pregnant
• anyone with a family history of alcoholism or drug addiction

These risk factors can put a person in more short term and long term danger than they realize.  They may be focused on how they feel at the moment, but they could be ignoring important truths about their well being.

Binge Drinking Can Be Part of Alcoholism

Binge drinking, even if it’s done in a somewhat social setting, can be a sign of alcoholism.  Someone addicted to alcohol will likely need alcohol treatment to get their life back on track.  This isn’t something most people should try on their own.  Alcohol rehab can provide the emotional support to deal with the underlying emotional issues behind the binge drinking.  If you are a binge drinker or care deeply about someone who does, it may be time to find out more about alcohol rehab.

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People rarely want to believe bad things about themselves or their loved ones.  Alcoholism is one of those things nobody really wants to acknowledge when it’s right in front of them.  Are you pulling the wool over your own eyes?  Take a closer look at how alcoholism could be in your family, even if you don’t want to see it.

But I Never Drank Heavily In Front Of My Kids

You have been hearing bad stories about your adult daughter from friends of yours in town.  She’s been seen at bars getting into fights, going home with men she doesn’t know, and even having trouble at work.  You really can’t figure out how this could be true because you never drank in front of her, nor did your spouse.  It can’t be true, can it?

Well, just because you never drink in front of your kids doesn’t mean your child couldn’t eventually become alcoholic.  Certainly, family history does bring along a stronger risk for future generations.  But for many people, especially women, alcoholism can come out of trying to cope with intense emotional pain.  You may not have drank in front of her, but your frequent arguing and bitter divorce could be enough to have burdened her with significant emotional trouble.  Growing up with this kind of emotional pain is certainly no guarantee of future alcohol addiction, but it is a risk factor.

My Wife Has It Made She Couldnt Be Alcoholic

You have three children including a new baby of just a four months.  She has changed jobs a few times and eventually quit to raise the kids herself at home.  You have a good job - not one that you really like, but it pays the bills enough to have just one income for a while.  Lately, you’ve noticed that your wife has been having several drinks at night after the kids are in bed.  You start to wonder if she’s drinking during the day when she’s caring for the kids.  You dismiss this, believing that she has a great life with everything she’s ever wanted.  There would be no reason for this drinking to be a sign of a problem.

You may think you know your wife’s wants, but perhaps you don’t understand her struggles.  Yes, she may have wanted to be a stay at home mom in a comfortable home.  But have you checked in with her lately on how she is really feeling with three kids, especially with a new baby? Is this drinking something other mothers of young kids do?  She may be having a bout with undiagnosed postpartum depression.  A woman who starts drinking more heavily is often doing so to cope with emotional pain.  Your assumptions that this couldn’t be a problem may actually allow the alcoholism and possible depression to get worse.

Alcoholism Not Desirable But Treatable

No, alcoholism is never something we want to find right under our nose.  It can be so destructive and painful for many families.  But if you falsely believe it couldn’t happen in your own family, you may be setting yourself and your loved ones up for trouble.  If you do realize that a family member needs alcohol rehab, get them going in that direction right away.  Alcohol rehab will not cure alcoholism, but it can help a person rebuild their life.  Contact the alcohol rehab centers in your area today to find out more.

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Drunk driving is a tragic and completely preventable problem around the world.  Yet many continue to get behind the wheel while impaired from even small amounts of alcohol.  A recent study has taken a look at the fatal crash rates of alcohol-related car accidents.  Read on to learn more about the patterns of drinking and driving for young women.

More Drunk Driving Crashes For College Age Women

The Injury Prevention journal did a study on alcohol related crash rates for young women and men over a twelve year period (1995-2007) and across five different age groups. One notable trend featured no change in sixteen year old drivers across that time span, but a concerning increase in women ages 19-24.  While young men still outnumber women in total representation of fatal alcohol-related crashes, this upward trend for 19-24 year old women is certainly eye-opening. 

Another alarming statistic (concerning for both men and women) is that seatbelt use goes down as a person’ BAC (blood alcohol count) goes up.  Many people know that a person’s judgment is impaired as they drink more alcohol.  It seems that this study has highlight one of those judgment-based activities - the decision to wear a seatbelt. 

More Questions About Drunk Driving And Young Women

While the study made a few wide sweeping conclusions and observations, it’s still uncertain what this means for the future.  The college aged woman is driving drunk in larger numbers than ever before.  What does that say about the social norms for young women who drink alcohol?  Are they also drinking more each time they have alcohol?  Are they drinking more often?  Do they do other risky things at a higher rate than in years past? 

Those answers are still out there, perhaps just being explored and connected. It certainly says enough to mean that parents and young women need to take extra caution when considering expectation surrounding alcohol use.  Not all of this drinking is necessarily happening in college either.  Many young women decide to go right to work instead of going on to school, or perhaps they put off school for a few years to save up money.  One thing is for certain - this report opens up a lot of questions about our society and the choices young women are making about alcohol.

Alcohol Treatment Needed For Some Young Women

A young woman willing to drive while intoxicated may very well need alcohol rehab.  If her judgement is so impaired that she cannot make a sound decision about driving safely, this risky behavior may be a clear red flag for alcohol treatment.  If you are a parent of a young woman who is abusing alcohol, you may need to have an honest talk about driving drunk. It may be uncomfortable and embarassing, but you may save her life in doing so.  Alcohol treatment can help a young woman with out-of-control drinking.  Don’t wait - call an alcohol treatment program in your area today.

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For many alcoholics, just realizing they have a problem can be a huge feat.  Change isn’t just a one step hop either.  It has several stages with important accomplishments in each one.  But before you can change, you need to recognize that it’s necessary.  We’re going to focus on the transition between the first two stages of change for an alcoholic - pre-contemplation and contemplation.

Not Aware Of Alcoholism As A Problem

In the pre-contemplation stage, an alcoholic has no understanding that there is a problem.  They deny, dodge, and deflect any sort of responsibility.  Evidence of reality doesn’t stick to them.  The four DUI’s, the warnings at work for coming in drunk, the threat of divorce from their spouse, the assault charge from the bar fight - none of this registers at all for them.  And that conversation about alcohol rehab?  Forget about it.

They may even see that these situations have caused problems for them, but nothing is their fault.  The police have been picking on them all those times.  Everyone has turned their spouse against them, ganging up on them.  Their boss is a jerk anyway, so who cares.  The other person in the bar started the fight, they were just defending themselves.  All of it slides right off and the alcoholic continues to believe their own twisted logic.

A Glimmer of Hope With Contemplation

The next stage of change is where a glimmer of hope resides.  The alcoholic sees some cracks in their armor, perhaps for the first time.  They recognize that while they hope to be in law enforcement someday as a career, they wonder if that will happen because of their alcohol-related legal problems.  They know that even though the cherish time with their children, their drinking has reduced visitation time with them.  These mismatches are the key to an alcoholic’s recovery.

When an alcoholic can see the contrast of their reality and their hopes or goals, that’s when the seeds of change can start growing.  They understand that they really do have a choice.  They may be ambivalent for a while, feeling tugged between two different emotions or desires at once.  Exploring this ambivalent is a good thing.  It means they are facing the truth of their dilemma at that time.  When they make a choice, they will have at least done it with some clarity rather than with complete blinders on.  This is the point when an alcoholic could finally see the value of alcohol rehab.

Open To Reality Considering Alcohol Rehab

The transition between pre-contemplation and contemplation is so important.  It does not promise the positive change will be made, however.  They could face that moment of truth and decide that they don’t want to give up drinking just yet.  The truth is still too harsh and drinking is still too comfortable.  But at least they have some chance of seeing what’s ahead of them.  Next time they are at that decision point, they might decide to go to alcohol rehab.

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